Semiconductor light emitting device

ABSTRACT

Disclosed are a semiconductor light emitting device. The semiconductor light emitting device includes a plurality of compound semiconductor layers including a first conductive semiconductor layer, an active layer and a second conductive semiconductor layer; a pad on the plurality of compound semiconductor layers; an electrode layer under the plurality of compound semiconductor layers; and a supporting member disposed under the plurality of compound semiconductor layers and corresponding to the pad.

The present application is a continuation of application Ser. No.12/618,422, filed Nov. 13, 2009 now abandoned, which claims priorityunder 35 U.S.C. 119 to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2008-0113227(filed on Nov. 14, 2008), each of which is hereby incorporated byreference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

The embodiment relates a semiconductor light emitting device.

Group III-V nitride semiconductors are spotlighted as core materials oflight emitting diodes (LEDs) or laser diodes (LDs) due to physical andchemical characteristics. The group III-V nitride semiconductors mainlyinclude semiconductor materials having a composition formula ofIn_(x)Al_(y)Ga_(1-x-y)N (0≦x≦1, 0≦y≦1, 0≦x+y≦1).

The LED is a kind of a semiconductor device, which transmits/receivessignals by converting electricity into infrared rays or light using thecharacteristic of the compound semiconductor and is used as a lightsource.

The LED and LD employing such nitride semiconductors have been mainlyused in light emitting devices to obtain light, and have been applied tovarious appliances (e.g., a light emitting part of a key pad of aportable phone, an electric bulletin board, an illumination device) as alight source.

SUMMARY

The embodiment provides a semiconductor light emitting device, whichincludes a shock protecting member provided at a position correspondingto that of a pad.

The embodiment provides a semiconductor light emitting device, whichincludes a shock supporting member provided on a plurality of compoundsemiconductor layers corresponding to a pad.

The embodiment provides a semiconductor light emitting device, whichincludes a shock supporting member provided on a plurality of compoundsemiconductor layers and a channel layer under a circumference portionof the compound semiconductor layers. An embodiment provides asemiconductor light emitting device comprising: a light emittingstructure including a first conductive semiconductor layer, a secondconductive semiconductor layer under the first conductive semiconductorlayer and an active layer between the first and second semiconductorlayers; an electrode on a first region of a top surface of the firstconductive semiconductor layer; an electrode layer under a lower surfaceof the second conductive semiconductor layer; a conductive supportmember under the electrode layer; a channel layer between a peripheralportion of the lower surface of the second conductive semiconductorlayer and the conductive support member; and a supporting member betweenthe electrode layer and the conductive support member, wherein an firstportion of the channel layer is physically contacted with the lowersurface of the second conductive semiconductor layer and is spaced apartfrom the conductive support member, wherein the supporting member has awidth smaller than that of the lower surface of the second conductivesemiconductor layer, wherein the supporting member corresponds to theelectrode.

An embodiment provides a semiconductor light emitting device comprising:A semiconductor light emitting device comprising: alight emittingstructure including a first conductive semiconductor layer, a secondconductive semiconductor layer under the first conductive semiconductorlayer and an active layer between the first and second semiconductorlayers; an electrode having a pad on a top surface of the firstconductive semiconductor layer; an electrode layer having a reflectivematerial under a lower surface of the second conductive semiconductorlayer; a conductive support member under the electrode layer; a channellayer between a peripheral portion of the lower surface of the secondconductive semiconductor layer and the conductive support member; and asupporting member between the electrode layer and the conductive supportmember, wherein an inner portion of the channel layer is physicallycontacted with the lower surface of the second conductive semiconductorlayer and is spaced apart from the supporting member, wherein thesupporting member has a width smaller than that of the lower surface ofthe second conductive semiconductor layer, wherein the supporting membercorresponds to the pad of the electrode, wherein the electrode layerincludes a first outer portion and a second outer portion opposite tothe first outer portion, wherein the supporting member is disposedbetween the first outer portion and the second outer portion of theelectrode layer.

The details of one or more embodiments are set forth in the accompanyingdrawings and the description below. Other features will be apparent fromthe description and drawings, and from the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view showing a semiconductor light emittingdevice according to a first embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a bottom view of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 3 to 9 are views showing the manufacturing process of thesemiconductor light emitting device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 10 is a sectional side view showing a semiconductor light emittingdevice according to a second embodiment;

FIG. 11 is a sectional side view showing a semiconductor light emittingdevice according to a third embodiment; and

FIG. 12 is a sectional side view showing a semiconductor light emittingdevice according to a fourth embodiment; and

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, a semiconductor light emitting device according to theembodiments will be described with respect to accompanying drawings.

In the description about the embodiment, the size of elements shown inthe accompanying drawings is for an illustrative purpose only, but theembodiment is not limited thereto.

In the description of the embodiments, it will be understood that, whena layer (or film), a region, a pattern, or a structure is referred to asbeing “on” or “under” another substrate, another layer (or film),another region, another pad, or another pattern, it can be “directly” or“indirectly” on the other substrate, layer (or film), region, pad, orpattern, or one or more intervening layers may also be present. Such aposition of the layer has been described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a sectional side view showing a semiconductor light emittingdevice 100 according to a first embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a bottom viewof FIG. 1.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the semiconductor light emitting device 100includes a first conductive semiconductor layer 110, an active layer120, a second conductive semiconductor layer 130, an electrode layer150, a shock supporting member 155, a conductive support member 160, anda pad 170.

The semiconductor light emitting device 100 includes alight emittingdiode (LED) based on a plurality of compound semiconductors, forexample, compound semiconductors of group III-V elements. The LED may bea color LED emitting blue, green or red light or an UV LED. The lightemitted from the LED can be variously realized within the scope of theembodiment.

The compound semiconductor layers include the first conductivesemiconductor layer 110, the active layer 120, and the second conductivesemiconductor layer 130.

The first conductive semiconductor layer 110 may include GaN, AlN,AlGaN, InGaN, InN, InAlGaN, AlInN, AlGaAs, GaP, GaAs, GaAsP, or AlGaInP,which is a compound semiconductor of group III-V elements doped with afirst conductive dopant. When the first conductive semiconductor is anN-type semiconductor, the first conductive dopant includes an N-typedopant such as Si, Ge, Sn, Se, or Te. The first conductive semiconductorlayer 110 may include a single layer or a multi-layer, but theembodiment is not limited thereto.

The pad 170 is formed under the first conductive semiconductor layer110. The pad 170 may have a predetermined shape and a predeterminedpattern, but the embodiment is not limited thereto. The pad 170 may bedisposed at the center of a lower portion of the first conductivesemiconductor layer 110 to supply a current. The pad 170 may have acircular or polygonal shape. The pad 170 is connected to a firstelectrode (not shown) formed under the first conductive semiconductorlayer 110, or the first electrode may be additionally provided for thefirst conductive semiconductor layer 110, but the embodiment is notlimited thereto.

The pad 170 may be formed by using Ti, Al, In, Ta, Pd, Co, Ni, Si, Ge,Ag or Au, but the embodiment is not limited thereto.

The active layer 120 is formed on the first conductive semiconductorlayer 110, and may have a single quantum well structure or amulti-quantum well structure. The active layer 120 may have thearrangement of a well layer and a barrier layer by using compoundsemiconductor materials of group III-V elements. For example, the activelayer 120 may have the arrangement of an InGaN well layer/a GaN barrierlayer. A conductive clad layer may be formed on and/or under the activelayer 120, and may include an AlGaN-based semiconductor.

The second conductive semiconductor layer 130 is formed on the activelayer 120. The second conductive semiconductor layer 130 may includeGaN, AlN, AlGaN, InGaN, InN, InAlGaN, AlInN, AlGaAs, GaP, GaAs, GaAsP,or AlGaInP which is a compound semiconductor of III-V elements dopedwith a second conductive dopant. When the second conductivesemiconductor is a P-type semiconductor, the second conductive dopantincludes a P-type dopant such as Mg or Zn. The second conductivesemiconductor layer 130 may have a single layer or a multi-layer, butthe embodiment is not limited thereto.

The first conductive semiconductor layer 110, the active layer 120, andthe second conductive semiconductor layer 130 may be defined as a lightemitting structure.

The second conductive semiconductor layer 130 may be provided thereonwith an N-type semiconductor layer or a P-type semiconductor layer. Thefirst conductive semiconductor layer 110 may be realized as a P-typesemiconductor layer, and the second conductive semiconductor layer 130may be realized as an N-type semiconductor layer. Accordingly, the lightemitting structure may include at least one of an N-P junctionstructure, a P-N junction structure, an N-P-N junction structure, and aP-N-P junction structure.

A layer or a plurality of patterns is formed between the secondconductive semiconductor layer 130 and the electrode layer 150, socurrent distribution caused by resistance difference can be dispersed.The layer or the plurality of patterns includes at least one of SiO₂,SiO_(x), SiO_(x)N_(y), Si₃N₄, Al₂O₃, TiO₂, ITO, IZO, IZTO, IAZO, IGZO,IGTO, AZO, ATO, GZO, IrOx, and RuOx.

The electrode layer 150 is formed on the second conductive semiconductorlayer 130. The electrode layer 150 may comprise at least one of areflective electrode layer, an ohmic-contact layer, and an adhesionlayer. The electrode layer 150 may include at least one of metallicmaterial and oxide material. The reflective electrode layer may includesat least one of Ag, Ni, Al, Rh, Pd, Ir, Ru, Mg, Zn, Pt, Au, Hf, or theselective combination of the above. The ohmic-contact layer may includeat least one at least one selected from the group consisting ofITO(indium tin oxide), IZO(indium zinc oxide), IZTO(indium zinc tinoxide), IAZO(indium aluminum zinc oxide), IGZO(indium gallium zincoxide), IGTO(indium gallium tin oxide), AZO (aluminum zinc oxide),ATO(antimony tin oxide), GZO(gallium zinc oxide), IrOx, RuOx, RuOx/ITO,Ni/IrOx/Au, and Ni/IrOx/Au/ITO, Pt, Ni, Au, Rh and Pd. The adhesionlayer may include at least one of Ti, Au, Sn, Ni, Cr, Ga, In, Bi, Cu,Ag, and Ta. The electrode layer 150 may be formed of a seed metal.

An ohmic-contact layer (not shown) may be further formed between theelectrode layer 150 and the second conductive semiconductor layer 130.The ohmic-contact layer may include a layer or a plurality of patterns.The ohmic-contact layer includes at least one selected from the groupconsisting of indium tin oxide (ITO), indium zinc oxide (IZO), indiumzinc tin oxide (IZTO), indium aluminum zinc oxide (IAZO), indium galliumzinc oxide (IGZO), indium gallium tin oxide (IGTO), aluminum zinc oxide(AZO), antimony tin oxide (ATO), gallium zinc oxide (GZO), IrOx, RuOx,RuOx/ITO, Ni/IrOx/Au and Ni/IrOx/Au/ITO, but the embodiment is notlimited thereto.

The shock supporting member 155 having a predetermined size is formed onthe electrode layer 150 corresponding to the pad 170.

The shock supporting member 155 may include a metallic material (e.g.,W, Mo) having a high melting point, or a conductive metallic materialhaving high strength. The shock supporting member 155 may have theminimum of thickness of about 1 um or more to enhance the strengththereof. For example, the shock supporting member 155 may have athickness of about 1 um to about 10 um.

As shown in FIG. 2, the shock supporting member 155 may have the sizegreater than that of the pad 170. The shock supporting member 155 mayhave a size sufficient to absorb a shock transmitted from the pad 170.

If a plurality of pads 170 are employed, a plurality of shock supportingmembers 155 may be employed. The shock supporting member 155 minimizesthe shock causing the semiconductor layers 110, 120, and 130 to be bentwhen the pad 170 is bonded. Accordingly, the breakage or thedelamination of an LED chip causing the degradation of the chipcharacteristic can be prevented.

The conductive support member 160 may be formed on both the electrodelayer 150 and the buffer member 155. The conductive support member 160may serve as abase substrate. The conductive support member 160 may berealized by using Cu, Au, Ni, Mo, Cu—W, or a carrier wafer such as Si,Ge, GaAs, ZnO, SiC, SiGe and GaN. The conductive support member 160 maybe formed through an electrolytic plating scheme or in the form of asheet, but the embodiment is not limited thereto. The conductive supportmember 160 may have a thickness of about 30 um to about 150 um, but theembodiment is not limited thereto.

The conductive support member 160 makes contact with a peripheralportion of the second conductive semiconductor layer 130, or theelectrode layer 150 may make contact with the second conductivesemiconductor layer 130, but the embodiment is not limited thereto.

FIGS. 3 to 9 are views showing the manufacturing process of thesemiconductor light emitting device of FIG. 1.

Referring to FIG. 3, the substrate 101 is loaded onto growth equipment,and a compound semiconductor layer of II to VI elements is formed on thesubstrate 101.

The grown equipment may include an e-beam evaporator, a physical vapordeposition (PVD) apparatus, a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) apparatus,a plasma laser deposition (PLD) apparatus, a dual-type thermalevaporator, a sputtering apparatus, or a metal organic chemical vapordeposition (MOCVD) apparatus, but the embodiment is not limited thereto.

The substrate 101 may include one selected from the group consisting ofAl₂0₃, GaN, SiC, ZnO, Si, GaP, InP, Ga₂O₃, a conductive substrate, andGaAs. The substrate 101 may be provided on a top surface thereof with aconcave-convex pattern.

In addition, the substrate 101 may be formed thereon with a layer or apattern formed using a compound semiconductor of group II-VI elements.For example, the substrate 101 may be formed thereon with at least oneof a ZnO layer (not shown), a buffer layer (not shown), and an undopedsemiconductor layer (not shown). The buffer layer and the undopedsemiconductor layer may be formed using compound semiconductors of III-Vgroup elements. The buffer layer reduces a lattice constant differencefrom the substrate 101. The undoped semiconductor layer may be formedusing an undoped GaN-based semiconductor.

The substrate 101 is formed thereon with the light emitting structureincluding the compound semiconductor layers. The light emittingstructure includes the first conductive semiconductor layer 110, theactive layer 120, and the second conductive semiconductor layer 130.

The first conductive semiconductor layer 110 is formed on the substrate101, and the active layer 120 is formed on the first conductivesemiconductor layer 110. The second conductive semiconductor layer 130is formed on the active layer 120.

The first conductive semiconductor layer 110 may include GaN, AlN,AlGaN, InGaN, InN, InAlGaN, AlInN, AlGaAs, GaP, GaAs, GaAsP, or AlGaInPwhich is a compound semiconductor of group III-V elements doped with thefirst conductive dopant. When the first conductive semiconductor is anN-type semiconductor, the first conductive dopant includes an N-typedopant such as Si, Ge, Sn, Se, or Te. The first conductive semiconductorlayer 110 may include a single layer or a multi-layer, but theembodiment is not limited thereto.

The active layer 120 is formed on the first conductive semiconductorlayer 110, and may have a single quantum well structure or amulti-quantum well structure. The active layer 120 may have thearrangement of a well layer and a barrier layer using compoundsemiconductor materials of group III-V elements. For example, the activelayer 120 may have the arrangement of an InGaN well layer/a GaN barrierlayer.

A conductive clad layer may be formed on and/or under the active layer120 and may include an AlGaN-based semiconductor.

The second conductive semiconductor layer 130 is formed on the activelayer 120. The second conductive semiconductor layer 130 may includeGaN, AlN, AlGaN, InGaN, InN, InAlGaN, AlInN, AlGaAs, GaP, GaAs, GaAsP,or AlGaInP which is a compound semiconductor of III-V group elementsdoped with a second conductive dopant. When the second conductivesemiconductor is a P-type semiconductor, the second conductive dopantincludes a P-type dopant such as Mg or Zn. The second conductivesemiconductor layer 130 may have a single layer or a multi-layer, butthe embodiment is not limited thereto.

The first conductive semiconductor layer 110, the active layer 120, andthe second conductive semiconductor layer 130 may be defined as thelight emitting structure 135. In addition, a third conductivesemiconductor layer (e.g., an N-type semiconductor layer or a P-typesemiconductor layer) may be formed on the second conductivesemiconductor layer 130. Accordingly, the light emitting structure 135may have at least one of an N-P junction structure, a P-N junctionstructure, an N-P-N junction structure, and a P-N-P junction structure.

Referring to FIG. 4, the electrode layer 150 is formed on the secondconductive semiconductor layer 130 or the third conductive semiconductorlayer. The electrode layer 150 may be formed on a portion or the entireportion of the second conductive semiconductor layer 130 by using asputtering apparatus. The electrode layer 150 may be formed by using atleast one material including seed material, ohmic material, reflectivematerial and adhesion material.

The electrode layer 150 may comprise at least one of a reflectiveelectrode layer, an ohmic-contact layer, and an adhesion layer. Theelectrode layer 150 may include at least one of metallic material andoxide material. The reflective electrode layer may includes at least oneof Ag, Ni, Al, Rh, Pd, Ir, Ru, Mg, Zn, Pt, Au, Hf, or the selectivecombination of the above. The ohmic-contact layer may include at leastone at least one selected from the group consisting of ITO(indium tinoxide), IZO(indium zinc oxide), IZTO(indium zinc tin oxide), IAZO(indiumaluminum zinc Oxide), IGZO(indium gallium zinc oxide), IGTO(indiumgallium tin oxide), AZO (aluminum zinc oxide), ATO(antimony tin oxide),GZO(gallium zinc oxide), IrOx, RuOx, RuOx/ITO, Ni/IrOx/Au, andNi/IrOx/Au/ITO, Pt, Ni, Au, Rh and Pd. The adhesion layer may include atleast one of Ti, Au, Sn, Ni, Cr, Ga, In, Bi, Cu, Ag, and Ta. Theelectrode layer 150 may be formed of a seed metal.

A layer or a plurality of patterns is formed between the secondconductive semiconductor layer 130 and the electrode layer 150, whereinthe layer or the plurality of patterns includes at least one of SiO₂,SiO_(x), SiO_(x)N_(y), Si₃N₄, Al₂O₃, TiO₂, ITO, IZO, IZTO, IAZO, IGZO,IGTO, AZO, ATO, GZO, IrOx, and RuOx.

An ohmic-contact layer (not shown) may be formed between the electrodelayer 150 and the second conductive semiconductor layer 130. Theohmic-contact layer may include a layer or a plurality of patterns. Theohmic-contact layer includes at least one selected from the groupconsisting of indium tin oxide (ITO), indium zinc oxide (IZO), indiumzinc tin oxide (IZTO), indium aluminum zinc oxide (IAZO), indium galliumzinc oxide (IGZO), indium gallium tin oxide (IGTO), aluminum zinc oxide(AZO), antimony tin oxide (ATO), gallium zinc oxide (GZO), IrOx, RuOx,RuOx/ITO, Ni/IrOx/Au and Ni/IrOx/Au/ITO, but the embodiment is notlimited thereto.

Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, the shock supporting member 155 is formed onthe electrode layer 150. The shock supporting member 155 is formed in afirst area (not shown) opened by a mask pattern on the electrode layer150. The first area has a size sufficient to cover an area for the pad170.

The shock supporting member 155 may include a metallic material (e.g.,W, Mo) having a high melting point, or a conductive metallic materialhaving high strength. The shock supporting member 155 may have theminimum of thickness of about 1 um or more to enhance the strengththereof. For example, the shock supporting member 155 may have athickness of about 1 um to about 10 um.

A single shock supporting member 155 or a plurality of shock supportingmembers 155 may be employed. The shock supporting member 155 may have acylindrical shape or a polygonal column shape. The number or the shapeof the sock absorbing members 155 depends on the number or the shape ofthe pads 170, but the embodiment is not limited thereto.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of FIG. 5. Although the shock supporting member155 is formed in a polygonal shape at the central area of the electrodelayer 150 as shown in FIG. 6, but the embodiment is not limited thereto.

Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, the conductive support member 160 may beformed on the electrode layer 150 and the shock supporting member 155.The conductive support member 160 may serve as a base substrate. Theconductive support member 160 may be realized by using Cu, Au, Ni, Mo,Cu—W, or a carrier wafer such as Si, Ge, GaAs, ZnO, SiC, SiGe and GaN.The conductive support member 160 may be formed through an electrolyticplating scheme or in the form of a sheet, but the embodiment is notlimited thereto. The conductive support member 160 may have a thicknessof about 30 um to about 150 um, but the embodiment is not limitedthereto.

After the conductive support member 160 has been formed, the conductivesupport member 160 is placed on a base. Thereafter, the substrate 101 isremoved through a physical removing scheme and/or a chemical removingscheme.

The physical removing scheme is a laser lift off (LLO) scheme toseparate the substrate 101 by irradiating a laser beam having apredetermined wavelength band to the substrate 101. The chemical schemeis to separate the substrate 101 by removing an additional semiconductorlayer (e.g., buffer layer) using a wet etch solution when the additionalsemiconductor layer is formed between the substrate 101 and the firstconductive semiconductor layer 110.

The surface of the first conductive semiconductor layer 110 having nosubstrate 101 may be etched through an inductively coupledplasma/reactive ion etching (ICP/RIE) scheme.

Referring to FIGS. 8 and 9, a mesa etching process is performed withrespect to a boundary area (e.g., channel area) between chips to removethe boundary area such that the chips are separated from each other. Thepad 170 is formed under the first conductive semiconductor layer 110.

For example, the pad 170 may be formed in an open area of a mask patternusing a sputtering apparatus. The pad 170 may include Ti, Al, In, Ta,Pd, Co, Ni, Si, Ge, Ag or Au, but the embodiment is not limited thereto.

The pad 170 may be formed before the mesa etching process is performed,after the mesa etching process is performed, or after the chips areseparated from each other, but the embodiment is not limited thereto.

FIG. 9 is a bottom view of FIG. 8. Referring to FIG. 9, the pad 170 isformed in a position corresponding to the position of the first shocksupporting member 155. The pad 170 may have a circular shape or apolygonal shape. The pad 170 may have the shape corresponding to that ofthe shock supporting member 155. For example, the pad 170 may have apolygonal shape, but the embodiment is not limited thereto.

The shock supporting member 155 absorbs a shock when the pad 170 isbonded, thereby preventing the semiconductor layers 110, 120, and 130 ofthe light emitting structure from being bent. Accordingly, the breakageor the delamination of an LED chip, which has been finished, causing thedegradation of the chip characteristic can be prevented.

FIG. 10 is a view showing a semiconductor light emitting device 100Aaccording to a second embodiment. In the following description, the samereference numerals will be assigned to elements identical to those ofthe first embodiment, and details thereof will be omitted in order toavoid redundancy.

Referring to FIG. 10, the semiconductor light emitting device 100Aincludes the first conductive semiconductor layer 110, the active layer120, the second conductive semiconductor layer 130, a channel layer 145,the electrode layer 150, the shock supporting member 155, the conductivesupport member 160, and the pad 170.

The channel layer 145 is formed at a peripheral portion of a top surfaceof the second conductive semiconductor layer 130. The channel layer 145may have a continuous pattern shape such as a band shape, a ring shape,or a frame shape at the peripheral portion of the second conductivesemiconductor layer 130 by using a mask pattern.

The electrode layer 150 is formed on both the channel layer 145 and thesecond conductive semiconductor layer 130, and the shock supportingmember 155 is formed on the electrode layer 150.

The channel layer 145 may include a transparent insulating layer or atransparent conductive layer. The channel layer 145 may include ametallic oxide or a metallic nitride. The channel layer 145 may includeone selected from the group consisting of SiO₂, SiO_(x), SiO_(x)N_(y),Si₃N₄, Al₂O₂, TiO₂, ITO, IZO, IZTO, IAZO, IGZO, IGTO, AZO, ATO, GZO,IrOx, RuOx, RuOx/ITO, Ni/IrOx/Au, and Ni/IrOx/Au/ITO.

The channel layer 145 may include not only the above transparentmaterials, but also a material transmitting a laser beam, or a materialthat hardly generate fragments by a laser beam. The channel layer 145can improve the bonding strength with a material of the secondconductive semiconductor layer 130. The channel layer 145 may have awidth or a thickness of about 2 um or less, but the embodiment is notlimited thereto.

The channel layer 145 and the electrode layer 150 may be used as onelayer, that is, a conductive layer.

A recess 103 may surround a peripheral portion of the first conductivesemiconductor layer 110, the active layer 120, and the second conductivesemiconductor layer 130. The recess 103 may space the conductive supportmember 160 apart from the second conductive semiconductor layer 130.

An outer portion of the channel layer 145 is exposed to the recess 103of the second conductive semiconductor layer 130. In other words, theouter portion of the channel layer 145 extends outerward from a sidewallof the light emitting structure such that the channel layer 145 isexposed to the recess 103.

The channel layer 145 can prevent the lateral delamination of the lightemitting structure caused by a laser beam irradiated during themanufacturing process. The channel layer 145 can prevent metallicfragments of the electrode layer 150 or the conductive support member160 from being introduced into the outer portion of the light emittingstructure. The channel layer 145 can prevent the moisture infiltrationinto the outer portion of the light emitting structure.

FIG. 11 is a view showing a semiconductor light emitting device 100Baccording to a third embodiment. In the following description, the samereference numerals will be assigned to elements identical to those ofthe first embodiment, and details thereof will be omitted in order toavoid redundancy.

Referring to FIG. 11, the semiconductor light emitting device 100Bincludes the first conductive semiconductor layer 110, the active layer120, the second conductive semiconductor layer 130, a channel layer 145having a protrusion 147, the electrode layer 150, the shock supportingmember 155, the conductive support member 160, and the pad 170.

The channel layer 145 surrounds a peripheral portion of the top surfaceof the second conductive semiconductor layer 130. The channel layer 145may have a continuous pattern shape such as a band shape, a ring shape,or a frame shape at the peripheral portion of the second conductivesemiconductor layer 130 using a mask pattern.

The electrode layer 150 is formed on both the channel layer 145 and thesecond conductive semiconductor layer 130. The shock supporting member155 is formed on the electrode layer 150.

The channel layer 145 may include a transparent insulating layer. Forexample, the channel layer 145 may include at least one selected fromthe group consisting of SiO₂, SiO_(x), SiO_(x)N_(y), Si₃N₄, Al₂O₃, andTiO₂.

The protrusion 147 extends downward from an inside of the channel layer145. The protrusion 147 may formed with a depth connecting to a portionof the first conductive semiconductor layer 110.

The protrusion 147 of the channel layer 145 may have a continuouspattern shape such as a ring shape or a band shape. The protrusion 147may be formed within the range of about 1 to about 5 um from thesidewall of the semiconductor layers 110, 120, and 130.

The protrusion 147 of the channel layer 145 may be divided into anactive area A1 and a non-active area A2. The semiconductor layers 110,120, and 130 provided in the active area A1 are normally operated, andsemiconductor layers 111, 121, and 131 provided in the non-active areaA2 are abnormally operated. The first conductive semiconductor layer 111provided in the non-active area A2 may be partially used as a currentpath.

The protrusion 147 of the channel layer 145 deactivates the left side ofa chip. Accordingly, even if the semiconductor layers 111, 121, and 131provided at the left side of the chip are shorted, the active area A1 isnormally operated. The protrusion 147 of the channel layer 145 canprevent moisture from being infiltrated into the outer portion the chip.

The protrusion 147 of the channel layer 145 can enhance the bondingstrength with the semiconductor layers 110, 120, and 130.

FIG. 12 is a view showing a semiconductor light emitting device 100Caccording to a fourth embodiment. In the following description, the samereference numerals will be assigned to elements identical to those ofthe first and second embodiments, and details thereof will be omitted inorder to avoid redundancy.

Referring to FIG. 12, the semiconductor light emitting device 100C has astructure in which the first conductive semiconductor layer 110 isformed on a bottom surface thereof with a roughness 115.

A method for manufacturing a semiconductor light emitting device, themethod comprising: forming a light emitting structure including a firstconductive semiconductor layer, an active layer, and a second conductivesemiconductor layer; forming an electrode layer on the second conductivesemiconductor layer; forming a shock supporting member in a first areaof the electrode layer; and forming a pad under the first conductivesemiconductor layer corresponding to the first area:

According to the embodiment, the semiconductor layers can be protectedfrom a shock caused by bonding. The characteristic of an LED chip can beprevented from being degraded due to the shock caused by bonding. Thebonding strength between the semiconductor layers and another layer canbe improved.

According to the embodiment, inter-layer short can be prevented betweenthe compound semiconductor layers. The compound semiconductor layers areprevented from being shorted due to the moisture infiltrated into thecompound semiconductor layers. The semiconductor light emitting devicecan be reliably operated.

The embodiments can provide a semiconductor light emitting device suchas an LED. The light efficiency of a vertical-type semiconductor lightemitting device can be improved.

According to the embodiment, a light source, to which the semiconductorlight emitting device is packaged, can be applied to various fields suchas illumination, indictors, and displays.

Although the exemplary embodiments of the present invention have beendescribed, it is understood that the present invention should not belimited to these exemplary embodiments but various changes andmodifications can be made by one ordinarily skilled in the art withinthe spirit and scope of the present invention as hereinafter claimed.

Although embodiments have been described with reference to a number ofillustrative embodiments thereof, it should be understood that numerousother modifications and embodiments can be devised by those skilled inthe art that will fall within the spirit and scope of the principles ofthis disclosure. More particularly, various variations and modificationsare possible in the component parts and/or arrangements of the subjectcombination arrangement within the scope of the disclosure, the drawingsand the appended claims. In addition to variations and modifications inthe component parts and/or arrangements, alternative uses will also beapparent to those skilled in the art.

What is claimed is:
 1. A semiconductor light emitting device comprising:a light emitting structure including a first conductive semiconductorlayer, a second conductive semiconductor layer under the firstconductive semiconductor layer and an active layer between the firstconductive semiconductor layer and the second conductive semiconductorlayer; an electrode disposed on a region of a top surface of the firstconductive semiconductor layer; an electrode layer disposed under alower surface of the second conductive semiconductor layer; a conductivesupport member disposed under the electrode layer; a channel layerbetween a peripheral portion of the lower surface of the secondconductive semiconductor layer and the conductive support member; and asupporting member disposed within a region between the electrode layerand the conductive support member, wherein a first portion of thechannel layer is physically contacted with the lower surface of thesecond conductive semiconductor layer and is spaced apart from thesupporting member, wherein an entire bottom surface of the supportingmember has a width smaller than a width of the lower surface of thesecond conductive semiconductor layer, wherein the conductive supportmember includes a first region overlapped vertically with the supportingmember and the electrode in a vertical direction perpendicular to thetop surface of the first conductive semiconductor layer, wherein theconductive support member includes a second region overlapped verticallywith the channel layer, wherein the first region of the conductivesupport member has a thickness thinner than a thickness of the secondregion of the conductive support member in the vertical direction,wherein the channel layer includes an opening region therein, whereinthe electrode layer, an upper portion of the supporting member and a topregion of the conductive support member are disposed in the openingregion of the channel layer, wherein the top region of the conductivesupport member is protruded toward the electrode from the second region,wherein the top region of the conductive support member has a concaverecess downwardly from a top surface of the top region of the conductivesupport member, wherein the concave recess is vertically overlapped withthe center of the electrode in the vertical direction, wherein thesupport member is disposed in the concave recess, and wherein a width ofthe support member is smaller than a width of the electrode layer alonga direction parallel to the top surface of the first conductivesemiconductor layer.
 2. The semiconductor light emitting device of claim1, wherein an outer portion of the electrode layer is disposed between alower surface of the channel layer and a top surface of the secondregion of the conductive support member.
 3. The semiconductor lightemitting device of claim 1, wherein the supporting member is formed of aconductive material different from the conductive support member.
 4. Thesemiconductor light emitting device of claim 1, wherein the supportingmember has a metal material different from the conductive support memberand the electrode layer.
 5. The semiconductor light emitting device ofclaim 1, wherein the supporting member has a metallic material.
 6. Thesemiconductor light emitting device of claim 4, wherein the supportingmember includes at least one of W and Mo.
 7. The semiconductor lightemitting device of claim 4, wherein a top surface of the supportingmember in the concave recess has a size wider than a size of a lowersurface of the electrode.
 8. The semiconductor light emitting device ofclaim 4, wherein the conductive support member has a thickness thickerthan a thickness of the supporting member, and wherein a thickness ofthe supporting member is thicker than a thickness of the channel layerin the vertical direction.
 9. The semiconductor light emitting device ofclaim 8, wherein the thickness of the supporting member ranges from 1 μmto 10 μm, and wherein the thickness of the conductive support memberranges from 30 μm to 150 μm.
 10. The semiconductor light emitting deviceof claim 2, wherein a second portion of the channel layer is physicallycontacted with a top surface of the outer portion of the electrodelayer, and wherein the top surface of the top region of the conductivesupport member contacts a bottom surface of the electrode layer in theopening region of the channel layer.
 11. The semiconductor lightemitting device of claim 10, wherein the channel layer is formed of ametallic oxide.
 12. The semiconductor light emitting device of claim 10,wherein the channel layer is formed of an electrically conductive layer.13. The semiconductor light emitting device of claim 11, wherein firstand second outer portions of the channel layer are located at a lowerposition than an entire region of a bottom surface of the light emittingstructure, and wherein a thickness of the supporting member in theconcave recess is thicker than a thickness of the channel layer in thevertical direction.
 14. A semiconductor light emitting devicecomprising: a light emitting structure including a first conductivesemiconductor layer, a second conductive semiconductor layer under thefirst conductive semiconductor layer and an active layer between thefirst conductive semiconductor layer and the second conductivesemiconductor layer; an electrode having a pad disposed on a top surfaceof the first conductive semiconductor layer; an electrode layer having areflective material disposed under a lower surface of the secondconductive semiconductor layer; a conductive support member disposedunder the electrode layer; a channel layer between a peripheral portionof the lower surface of the second conductive semiconductor layer andthe conductive support member; and a supporting member disposed within aregion between the electrode layer and the conductive support member,wherein an outer portion of the conductive support member is located ata lower position than the lower surface of the second conductivesemiconductor layer, wherein a bottom surface of the supporting memberhas a width smaller than a width of the lower surface of the secondconductive semiconductor layer, wherein the supporting member has adifferent metal material from the conductive support member, wherein thechannel layer includes an opening region therein, wherein an upperportion of the supporting member is disposed in the opening region ofthe channel layer, wherein a top region of the conductive support memberis disposed around the supporting member and is disposed in the openingregion of the channel layer, wherein the top region of the conductivesupport member is protruded toward the electrode from a second region ofthe conductive support member overlapped vertically with the channellayer, wherein the top region of the conductive support member has aconcave recess downwardly from a top surface of the top region of theconductive support member, wherein the concave recess is verticallyoverlapped with the center of the electrode in a vertical directionperpendicular to the top surface of the first conductive semiconductorlayer, wherein the support member is disposed in the concave recess, andwherein a width of the support member is smaller than a width of theelectrode layer along a direction parallel to the top surface of thefirst conductive semiconductor layer.
 15. The semiconductor lightemitting device of claim 14, wherein a thickness of the supportingmember in the concave recess is thicker than a thickness of the channellayer in a vertical direction.
 16. The semiconductor light emittingdevice of claim 15, wherein outer lateral surfaces of the supportingmember are disposed in the opening region of the channel layer and theouter lateral surfaces of the supporting member contact the top regionof the conductive support member, and wherein the top surface of the topregion of the conductive support member and a top surface of the supportmember are disposed on the same horizontal plane.
 17. A semiconductorlight emitting device comprising: a light emitting structure including afirst conductive semiconductor layer, a second conductive semiconductorlayer under the first conductive semiconductor layer and an active layerbetween the first conductive semiconductor layer and the secondconductive semiconductor layer; an electrode disposed on a region of atop surface of the first conductive semiconductor layer; an electrodelayer disposed under a lower surface of the second conductivesemiconductor layer and including a reflective electrode layer; aconductive support member disposed under the electrode layer; a channellayer between a peripheral portion of the lower surface of the secondconductive semiconductor layer and the conductive support member; and asupporting member disposed within a region between the electrode layerand the conductive support member, wherein a first portion of thechannel layer is physically contacted with the lower surface of thesecond conductive semiconductor layer and is spaced apart from thesupporting member, wherein a bottom surface of the supporting member hasa width smaller than a width of the lower surface of the secondconductive semiconductor layer, wherein the supporting member isvertically overlapped with a region of the electrode in a verticaldirection perpendicular to the top surface of the first conductivesemiconductor layer and has a thickness thicker than a thickness of thechannel layer in the vertical direction, wherein the conductive supportmember includes a first region overlapped vertically with the supportingmember and the electrode, wherein the conductive support member includesa second region overlapped vertically with the channel layer, whereinthe first region of the conductive support member has a thicknessthinner than a thickness of the second region of the conductive supportmember in the vertical direction, wherein the channel layer includes anopening region therein, wherein the electrode layer, an upper portion ofthe supporting member and a top region of the conductive support memberare disposed in the opening region of the channel layer, wherein the topregion of the conductive support member is protruded toward theelectrode from the second region, wherein the top region of theconductive support member has a concave recess downwardly from a topsurface of the top region of the conductive support member, wherein theconcave recess is vertically overlapped with the center of the electrodein the vertical direction, wherein the support member is disposed in theconcave recess, and where in a width of the support member is smallerthan a width of the electrode layer along a direction parallel to thetop surface of the first conductive semiconductor layer.
 18. Thesemiconductor light emitting device of claim 17, wherein outer lateralsurfaces of the supporting member contact the top region of theconductive support member.
 19. The semiconductor light emitting deviceof claim 17, wherein the top surface of the top portion of theconductive support member and a top surface of the support member arephysically contacted with a bottom surface of the electrode layer. 20.The semiconductor light emitting device of claim 1, wherein the topsurface of the top portion of the conductive support member and a topsurface of the support member are physically contacted with theelectrode layer.